


The Guardian Angel from Two Doors Down

by Books_Tea_Fandoms



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: AU, M/M, Mob AU, kylux au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-16
Updated: 2017-05-28
Packaged: 2018-10-19 09:39:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10637211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Books_Tea_Fandoms/pseuds/Books_Tea_Fandoms
Summary: Armitage Hux doesn't realise how much trouble he's gotten himself into when he moves into a flat on the wrong side of town, and calls the police on some suspicious neighbours. Luckily, though he may not initially realise it, he has someone watching out for him with a careful eye.





	1. One

Normally keeping himself to himself as a result mainly of disliking other people and their inadequacies, Armitage Hux was not normally one to intervene. This time, however, he'd had enough. His neighbours were particularly poorly behaved, and he was already fed up with the unidentifiable noises he could always hear and the bangs and shouts through the night. This time, after this noise in particular, he had to do something. It was a gunshot, and, since it came from next door, he had to do something. So he called the police.  
There were no more noises after that.  
Two weeks passed, and those were the two most peaceful weeks he was ever to experience in the whole time he lived in his tiny apartment.  
Then he got a knock on the door. Just as he was about to go to work, someone knocked on the door. He opened it, not really sure what he was expecting. He certainly wasn't expecting a woman and a man, both taller than him, wearing suits. The man, black-haired and muscular, was bracing himself against the doorframe, and the woman, sharp-edged and platinum blonde, stood behind, sneering down her nose at him. He took a step back, but the man leaned in further. Hux was terrified, but somehow the lump in his throat wasn't completely because of that.  
"Armitage Hux?" He practically growled.  
"Y- yes." He tried to swallow back the fear, but it was still evident in his voice.  
"You're the one who called the cops on next door?"  
"When?" Hux, visibly shaking a little, readjusted the reading glasses that he normally wore for work.  
"Two weeks ago."  
"Yes." Hux looked at his watch. The man grabbed his wrist, yanking it towards him; Hux stumbled with it, almost falling into the man, who smirked.  
"Well, I've been sent by the higher-ups where I work to tell you that this was a bad move, and if you try anything like that again, there will be serious repercussions. Understand?" Hux couldn't reply: the best he did was a feeble nod. "And it would be a shame to see something happen to a pretty face like yours." The man let go of his wrist and placed two fingers under Hux's chin, tilting it up slightly, so that Hux really had no choice but to look him in the eye. His dark eyes glittered, and Hux had the vague impression that he had a face he liked, despite the scar running across one side. That wasn't really his primary focus, however, considering the fact that he was essentially receiving death threats. "Now, I think we have to let you get to work, but if you mess up like you did again, we'll be back." With that, they were gone. Hux leaned against the doorframe, unsure of what his next steps would be. He checked his watch: he was going to be late for work.

•••••••

For the next week, nothing important happened, neither in Hux's work life nor his personal life. Things tended to be quieter now in his apartment block, even though now he knew that there were a lot of dangerous characters dwelling within a matter of metres from him. Nothing ever seemed particularly suspicious for that duration either, which perhaps in itself was suspicious. The first indication that something was amiss was the time he heard a knock on the door, and in the time it took him to get from his bedroom to the door, they were gone, without the slightest hint of a scuffle.  
Of course, he didn't notice the scuff marks from a pair of shoes that adorned the skirting board opposite his door.  
This happened again the week after, except this time he did notice the scuff marks, since the ones from last time, when paired with the ones from this time, left a black mark that was almost solid. He knelt down to inspect them, running a finger over the thick, dark lines.  
"What are you doing?" He heard a voice growl. Hux knew that voice, and stood up very quickly.  
"Nothing."  
"You're standing out here in your pyjamas, looking at a skirting board. What are you doing?" Hux had forgotten what he was wearing, and suddenly became very self-aware, especially because the voice in particular belonged to the man who came to visit.  
"I- found something, that's all."  
"And what did you find?" The man came closer, looming over him. Hux tried to ignore how close he was. It may have been that his pyjamas were thin, and the corridor was cold, but he could feel his body heat radiating from the suit he was wearing. And why was he wearing a suit at this time anyway? "So? What did you find?"  
"Scuff marks on the skirting board that weren't there before."  
"People scuff their shoes, what's the problem with that?"  
"It's because someone knocked on my door and then mysteriously disappeared by the time I'd got to the door." The man took a deep breath in.  
"I think you need to cease your little investigation now."  
"Why?"  
"You're in more trouble that you think you are."  
"What does that mean?" Hux stood up, and turned to face the man.  
"It means that you should stop your little investigation before you get hurt, gingerbread." The man smirked, and Hux realised very suddenly that the man's hand was under his chin again, except that this time, he could feel fingers straying across his cheek. Hux swallowed hard, looking up into the dark eyes across from him, finding himself quite possibly more distracted than he should have been. He cursed himself for not being able to stay focused when this man was telling him that his life was in danger, as this was the second time that this had happened.  
"What's your name?" Hux asked timidly. The man let out a gentle laugh.  
"Perhaps, given the circumstances, it would be better if you didn't know my name." Then, the man simply dropped his hand away from Hux, and walked off, hands in his pockets. Hux couldn't help but to admire the figure walking away from him. He stopped two doors down, and turned around, and seeing that Hux was still there, smirked that stupid smirk one more time. "I did say you were in danger, so maybe you should make yourself scarce before something bad happens."  
"Why do you even care?" Hux asked.  
"I have my reasons, mostly business, some personal. But get out of the corridor before you get hurt." Hux hurried himself back into his flat, and bolted the door shut, genuinely, for the first time, terrified. But what of? Now that was the real question. _How could you have been so stupid, Armitage?_   he thought to himself. _You managed to put yourself in a situation where your life is on the line, and now you can't do anything without fear that something's going to happen?_  
  
He sighed. He'd just have to find somewhere else to live when he had the money.


	2. Two

The next stretch of time before something happened that Hux noticed was tense and unpleasant. He was constantly on guard, scared to leave his flat, never leaving it unless he had to go to work (and he would simply pick up groceries on his way home from work), and always waiting for something bad to happen.  
The next noise that he heard was somewhat worse than before, mainly because he heard voices go with the banging and scuffling on the other side of the door. He didn't know one of the two male voices, but he certainly knew one of them. Even though he couldn't pick out precise words, the pitch of the mumbling that he did hear obviously belonged to the man that he knew. He sneaked a glance through the peephole in his door, but couldn't see anything. The voices continued, so he lay low until they stopped. When they did, he opened the door a crack, and, seeing nothing, crept out slowly. The first thing he noticed was the spatter of blood on the wall across from him. The second thing he noticed was the man he knew, leaning against the wall, looking a little bit ruffled.  
"Get back inside. Now." Hux didn't budge.  
"What happened?"  
"Get inside."  
"No. Tell what happened."  
"No." The man ran a hand through his thick, dark hair, and Hux caught sight of a trickle of blood running down his cheek.  
"You're hurt."  
"Occupational hazard."  
"What do you even do for a job?"  
"Irrelevant."  
"You're hurt. Come inside."  
"I live there." He pointed at his own front door.  
"Fine. Don't come in. Whatever." Hux turned to close his door. When he did try to close it, he found it being held open.  
"You know what? Fine. I could do with the company."  
"Don't you have your blonde friend?"  
"She's out on business."  
"It all sounds dodgy to me." Hux let him in.  
"That's why you need to not get involved."  
"Well, it seems like I have no choice." Hux gestured for the man to sit down, and got some medical supplies from his bathroom. He moved back over to the man, and held back his hair with delicate fingers. The man tensed his jaw. "What's your name, anyway?"  
"Well, since you seem to be in too deep already, I might as well tell you. My name is Kylo Ren, but-"  
"Wait- what?"  
"What?"  
"Ren? Your surname is Ren? As in the-"  
"Mob family? Yeah. I wasn't always a part of it, though. It's not my real name, but nobody knows my real name unless I care about them deeply." Kylo replied.  
"Fair enough." Hux set about cleaning the wound on the side of Kylo's head, which wasn't as bad as it first seemed, but was still fairly nasty. Kylo took in a short breath through his teeth when Hux applied some antiseptic. "Sorry."  
"It's fine." Hux tried again, but Kylo moved his head away. "It's fine."  
"Are you sure? It looks like it's going to get infected."  
"I guess you're just going to have to keep my head still." That damned smirk reappeared.  
"Are you-? Never mind." Hux shook his head, and put the antiseptic pad onto the wound again, and caught Kylo's face when he tried to turn his head away. His jaw was tense. "If you're so high up in the mafia, how come you're so antsy about pain?"  
"I'm not the one getting hurt normally."  
"Right." Hux let out a slow breath, still trying to take in the fact that he was cleaning the wounds of a mafia high-up. And he didn't mind. That was, quite possibly, the scariest thing. Kylo moved Hux's hand back to the wound, as his hand had strayed slightly too far down.  
"Are you ok?"  
"Y- yes." Dark eyes met blue eyes, and something clicked. Kylo took everything out of Hux's hands, letting it fall to the floor. Hux looked at him, frozen, breathing heavily.  
"Don't look so scared, gingerbread. I won't hurt you. Promise." Kylo grabbed his chin like he'd done before, except this time he led lips to lips, and kissing them. Hux, before and after he knew what he was doing, kissed him back. The fear began to melt away, and Kylo felt himself pull Hux to straddle him where he was sitting, giving Hux the height advantage, kissing him deeply. Hux pulled away first, and Kylo opened his eyes. "What's wrong?"  
"This can't be real. This isn't happening."  
"What's wrong?"  
"This."  
"What?"  
" _This._ "  
"Why not?"  
"People are out to kill me. You're injured from doing god knows what. We just _kissed_."  
"You make a good point." Kylo smirked again, and kissed him again, and Hux just melted.  
When they stopped again, Hux's face was bright red, his hair was dishevelled, and he didn't even mind. Kylo lifted him off by his waist, and stood back up, readjusting his tie and neatening his hair, and making his way to the door. Hux just watched him leave. As he reached the door, Kylo turned.  
"You're dangerous, gingerbread. No wonder you've got people after you." He laughed drily, and with that, he was gone, leaving Hux to try and put together what had just happened.


	3. Three

Hux didn't see Kylo for the next few weeks, frustratingly. At times, when he was lying in bed on his own, staring at the ceiling, he was overwhelmed with the fear that perhaps something had happened to him, even if only for a moment. Normally, he managed to suppress this fear with his own, skewed rationality: if Kylo had made it this far in such a dangerous job, why would he now be in danger? He pushed back any thoughts of Kylo getting hurt, refusing to believe that this was a valid option.  
He refused to even tell himself that all this worrying was making him ill. He was irritable, more so than usual, and had trouble sleeping. His coworkers thought nothing of it, not noticing the dark rings under his eyes that had begun to appear as the days went past. But again, Armitage Hux was not normally one to involve himself with other people due to their shortcomings. That made him less than noticeable in the eyes of most.  
His coworkers didn't even realise that he went missing.

_~Earlier~_

Hux had come to accept the fact that he was driving himself crazy. He needed to see Kylo, and he knew he could: he lived just two doors down, after all. Something deep in his gut, however, was urging him not to. Maybe it was the numerous time he had been warned by Kylo himself not to get involved, or the fact that Kylo was totally in control of the entire situation, or maybe it was something on a much more fundamental level than that. He didn't know.  
But his mind- his mind kept bringing him back to the moment that Kylo kissed him, how he wasn't expecting something like that but was so, so ready for it to happen, how his dark eyes had the gravitational pull of entire galaxies, as if both of them, in that moment, shared the whole of the universe between them. The blank walls of his apartment became cinema screens for replaying every single moment back behind his eyes, falling further and further into the heartache that was beginning to consume him to extents he didn't know possible.  
That was it. There was one weekend morning where he couldn't even bring himself to finish his breakfast because this stupid, stupid heartache was taking over his brain and making him remember stupid tiny little details: the light coming from the window reflected in Kylo's eyes when they first met; the way Kylo kissed him gently at first, but then passionately and deeply and sensitively; how much he missed all of that.  
He stood up, taking a deep breath, and went to go get changed. When he was done, he stared himself straight in the mirror, noting the decline in his physical appearance that came with the demolition of his state of mind. Furrowing his brow, he left, with a mind to go straight to Kylo's apartment, regardless of the danger he was putting himself in, and speak his mind, to a greater or lesser extent depending on how his panic reaction would play out (he knew himself too well to believe even for a second that he would handle a situation like that calmly).  
Except, he never made it that far.  
As soon as he stepped out of the flat, he was pressed against the wall.  
Unfortunately, it was not in the way he wanted. A man, slightly shorter than him, wearing a suit like Kylo normally did, had his forearm pressed against Hux's neck, and a gun in his spare hand, brushing against Hux's hairline.  
"Armitage Hux? Don't even bother trying to lie. We know who you are."  
"We?" He whispered out.  
"Your worst nightmare. The family you called the cops on. You're coming with me. Down the stairs. Now." Hux did as he was told, knowing he was walking with a gun pointed at the back of his head. He got into the black car that was waiting outside of the apartment building as he was told. He did not dare to make a sound, lest he be shot. He didn't even flinch when the sack was put over his head, even though the sour smell made him want to gag.  
A seemingly endless car ride ended rather abruptly, and once again he was hauled out of the car, with no sense of where he was going or what he was doing. He did not, however resist. The fear for his life that had become somewhat more subdued over the course of the past duration had suddenly come back, worse than before. The primal fear building up in him made him more twitchy, and perhaps, he thought, maybe the whole being tied to a chair thing (as he had just been) was something good. The ropes were coarse, and tied tightly, and Hux felt a drop of blood roll down his hand from his wrist and drip off of his left middle finger.  
The sack was ripped off of his head. A piercingly bring light shone over him. He couldn't believe his life had really brought him to this kind of a situation.  
"We're here to ask you some questions. But, don't expect yourself to come out alive after our meeting."  
In that moment, Armitage Hux knew he was going to die, and it was the worst feeling in the whole entire world.


	4. Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lol I've been told that my style is too "choppy and literary". Unfortunately, I mostly write for my own personal enjoyment and I think there's nothing wrong with using long words in fanfiction. Sorry.  
> I do, obviously, still write for you guys, so if my style is really that unreadable, I guess I'll take steps to change it.  
> Is it alright for the most of you now? Tell me in the comments!  
> Either way, here's a new chapter :)  
> One more chapter after this, I think...

Hux woke up with a pain in the back of his head. He couldn't remember much after he was dragged into this abandoned warehouse, wherever it was, but he did remember taking a hard blow to the back of the head just after they pulled the sack off of his head. With difficulty, he looked up, feeling every muscle fibre ache. He stared into the darkness, a bright light hanging over his head.  
"Oh, Sleeping Beauty, you're awake. I was starting to think I hit you a little too hard." The voice of the man who had taken him came from somewhere ahead of him. He squinted his eyes, trying to see into the blackness that surrounded him.  
"Why am I here?"  
"I ask the questions. Why did you call the cops on your neighbours?"  
"I've said this before, I swear: I filed a report because someone fired a gun. If you were an ordinary citizen who had no idea until recently that the mafia were your next-door neighbours, wouldn't you?"  
"You got one of ours locked up behind bars. You know how much of a problem this is?"  
"No, but I can imagine-"  
"You can't. That was our biggest take down operation since the twenties and you blew it. We had one chance to destroy the Ren family by killing the second-in-command and you blew it."  
"This isn't my fault! I didn't know!"  
"You may not have known but there is no way that this isn't your fault." There was a lengthy pause. The tension in Hux's chest started to escalate again. "Ginger hair, huh?"  
"What about it?"  
"We've got wiretaps in the building and hidden microphones all over the corridor by your floor. Do you ever get called gingerbread?" Hux swallowed hard. His expression betrayed him. "Oh, you know more than you're letting on, don't you?"  
"I don't know."  
"Kylo Ren approached you, didn't he? Did he ask you to do anything? Did he ask you to call the cops?"  
"No! Nothing like that. He asked me to not get involved after the police came."  
"Was anyone else with him?" Hux remained silent: he wasn't going to divulge any information that he didn't need to. The man leaned into the light, and his heavily-shadowed face grimaced as a gun was brought into the light. "I'm going to repeat my question," He spoke calmly and remorselessly. "Was anyone else with him?"  
"A blonde. Tall, almost as tall as he was."  
"Phasma. I knew it. What do you know about her?"  
"Nothing. That was the only time I saw her." The man across from him received a notification on his phone. He read it, and stood up.  
"Sorry, I'm going to have to leave," He practically growled. "I'll let you sleep." And with that, he leaned forwards, injecting something into Hux's bicep. Before he could figure out what it was, Hux found his vision doubling, trebling, and then just fading to black as he slumped over himself in the chair, agitating the bleeding rope burns around his wrists: not that he could feel that, though. He was completely unconscious within seconds.

•~•~•~•~•

Kylo Ren, whilst all of this was happening, was minding his own business. Well, sort of. He was carrying through with family business mostly, making deals, but somehow it was harder now than it had been before. A couple of times, he had nearly let his guard down completely and deals were very close to falling through. The first person to notice, thankfully, was not the head of the family, but Phasma, who was fairly easy on him in her interrogation, considering that when she noticed, it was after she had to step in during making an offer.  
"Kylo, what's wrong with you? You've been so out of whack recently."  
"I don't know. I feel like I've lost my skills overnight."  
"Either that, or you've lost your drive."  
"Could be."  
"What was driving you before?"  
"I don't know. I was practically brought up in this environment so I don't see why anything should have changed."  
"But something has, so what's changed?" There was a pause.  
"I don't know." He knew. He knew exactly what it was.  
"Liar." Kylo refused to meet her gaze as they walked back to where their car was parked. "What is it?"  
"A triviality." He lied. Even thinking of Hux, he could feel a blush creeping up from his collar.  
"Should I have asked who?" Phasma learned enough from Kylo tensing his jaw. "What's her name?"  
"Her?" He replied instantly, confused until he realised that Phasma still thought he was straight.  
"Well, that's not the answer I was expecting. What's his name, then?"  
"It doesn't matter."  
"It's not the guy we were sent to scare shitless, was it?"  
"It doesn't matter."  
"It was, wasn't it?"  
"Stop, OK?" Phasma put her hands up in mock self-defence, smirking to herself as they got in the car to go back to the flats.  
The majority of the car ride was silent, save for Phasma's occasional giggle to herself, and Kylo responding by menacingly clearing his throat.  
"Phasma, for God's sake."  
"What's not funny about it?"  
"The fact that it's not a joke- it's who I am as a person and if you think it's funny you know I know at least a dozen ways to kill you with my bare hands."  
"Don't you see the humour in saying that my partner-in-crime is the gayest gangster this side of the equator?" Even Kylo couldn't help but to giggle a little.  
"You make it sound silly."  
"It is a bit."  
"Well, I do also happen to be one of the most threatening and efficient mob members in the country as well."  
"Yeah, but that's irrelevant."  
"You're lucky you're my friend, you know that?"  
"Otherwise I wouldn't see this evening, let alone tomorrow? Yeah, yeah." Kylo smiled and shook his head. They got out of the car together, walking in sync all the way up the stairs. Reaching the flats, Kylo was about to start another conversation, but stopped dead in his tracks.  
"Shit." Hux's door was open. He ran over to it; even Phasma's phone ringing became background noise as he ran in. Hux's phone was lying on the side table. This was all wrong. "Gingerbread? Gingerbread?! _Hux!_ " He yelled, voice breaking. Phasma grabbed his arm.  
"They've got him." Immediately Kylo knew who, and had a sneaking suspicion of where. Unbeknownst to that family in particular, the Ren family knew the location of their supposedly secret warehouse. Unfortunately, Kylo also knew that the object of his affection wouldn't last long in said warehouse. Mafia high-ups barely lasted days. Hux probably wouldn't last to the end of this one. Kylo sprinted down the stairs, taking them two or three at a time, with Phasma following quickly behind. Phasma managed just to get ahead of him to get into the driving seat, knowing his state would be too irrational to drive. Kylo sat in the passenger seat, with his gun already out and loaded. Phasma didn't know what to do, so she just drove in silence, not able to ask all the burning questions that kept popping up in her head.  
Phasma pulled the car up to the warehouse almost silently: she'd reached such a speed getting there that she just turned the engine off and used the natural momentum of the car to roll up. Kylo leaped out of the car, not even closing the door behind him. He kicked the door open in one try, and, seeing Hux, shot dead every single other person in the room, before even thinking. He tucked his gun away, running over to Hux, who seemed to be mostly unconscious. He cut loose the bindings, lifting Hux gently out of the chair and walking back towards the car. Hux, now with open eyes, looked first at Kylo, and then around the room.  
"They're all dead."  
"You don't have to worry about that."  
"You killed them." Hearing those words from Hux sent a pang straight through his chest. "For me."  
"Yes."  
"I'm sorry."  
"For what?"  
"That I drove you to this because I couldn't keep my mouth shut."  
"No, no, it's part of the daily routine for me. Don't worry. Get some rest." Once outside the warehouse, Kylo stopped, looking down into Hux's eyes. Though he was clearly weakened, his eyes still shone that undefeatable blue. "I'm so sorry I let this happen to you." Hux sighed at this, smiling gently.  
"Thanks for getting me out of this." He replied, eyes closing. Kylo smiled gently, placing Hux softly into the back seat of the car, sliding in to sit next to him. Hux settled himself on Kylo's broad shoulder, letting himself fall asleep.  
"He's pretty badly beaten up. We're lucky we came when we did, huh."  
"Yeah." Phasma could tell Kylo wasn't in the mood to talk, so drove back in silence, checking on him in the rearview mirror, and always finding the pair of them nestled up together, Kylo with his arm around Hux, absent-mindedly running his fingertips in tiny circles around Hux's hair. That, Phasma knew, was happiness that Kylo could only have ever found with Hux, and was glad he'd found it. They kept on driving back to the flats, the only noise being background.


	5. Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry that it's been so long since I last updated- I've just been keel-hauled by a series of very big exams so I really didn't have any free time...

Kylo took Hux to his flat, even though Hux's was closer. His flat simply felt safer, not only in light of recent events, but also because here, Kylo felt that he could protect Hux. He laid Hux, as gently as one would a broken bird, down on his bed, watching Hux's eyes flutter open weakly to look him in the eye.  
"Where am I?"  
"My flat. Is that ok?"  
"Yes."  
"Do you need anything?" Hux shook his head.  
"Just sleep."  
"I'll let you sleep, then- it's only mid-afternoon but given the day that you had I won't be surprised if you sleep through until morning." Kylo turned to leave.  
"Ben-" Something stirred in Kylo as he heard his name, his real name, something deep within him.  
"Yes?"  
"Stay." Kylo smiled to himself, and climbed into bed with Hux, taking special care not to injure him any more. Hux rested his head on Kylo's chest, with Kylo's protective arm encircling him.  
"Is this ok?"  
"Definitely." Hux's speech was slurring with exhaustion, so Kylo let him drift to sleep in his arms, Kylo following soon after, not realising before just how tired he was.

The pair slept through until the morning. Kylo woke first, with the sunlight playing delicately over his face. Hux was still asleep, but as Kylo moved his arm, Hux woke up too.  
"What time is it?"  
"Nearing half past nine."  
"I should be at work."  
"Gingerbread, you were kidnapped and hurt yesterday and you really think going to work is the best idea?"  
"People worry when I'm five minutes late, let alone out of reach for a day or two."  
"Tell them you're ill, so ill that you couldn't get to your phone yesterday and you have to take probably the next week off."  
"I can't do that, there are too many things to get done."  
"In what respect?"  
"Meetings and such."  
"Postpone them."  
"Fine." Kylo leaned in towards Hux, and kissed his forehead.  
"You know how worried I was when I found you gone?"  
"Worried enough to kill?" Hux answered.  
"I suppose. You're not mad about that?"  
"No- I'm a little freaked out by it, but I'm coming to terms with it the more and more I come to terms with the fact that you're one of the most dangerous organised criminals in the whole city."  
"Well, I'm only dangerous when someone crosses me, and I don't think that will be a problem with you. In fact, I'm rather fond of you, gingerbread." Hux smiled, and rolled onto his back, stretching out, but gritting his teeth against the soreness of his stiff muscles and bruises.  
"Everything hurts." He stared at the ceiling.  
"Well, I'm not surprised, you got pretty bashed up. You want painkillers?"  
"That would be perfect." Kylo rolled out of the bed, and padded quietly over to the bathroom, still in his rumpled clothes from yesterday. When he returned, he found Hux sitting up, his normally slick hair falling over his face. There was dried blood on his shirt still, and his trousers were torn at the lower hem.  
"Here." Kylo offered. Hux took them gratefully. "Do you need a glass of water?"  
"I'm fine taking them dry." He popped out the number he needed, and downed them, handing the box back to Kylo.  
"Is there anything else I can do for you?"  
"I don't know."  
"Do you want to go back to your flat?"  
"I don't know."  
"Do you know anything at all?"  
"Probably not."  
"Well, you're welcome to stay here for however long you want. I don't know if I'm going to be called out to do things today, so I don't know how long I'll be around, but I don't mind you staying if I leave. Come with me to the kitchen and I'll make you breakfast." Hux lifted himself out of his position and followed Kylo.  
"Thank you, by the way."  
"Honestly, it's nothing. I like having you around, gingerbread." He paused. "And I'm glad you're safe." He looked over to Hux, who was smiling, and felt the undeniable urge to kiss him, which he did without much more thinking. He made sure to hold Hux lightly, for fear of agitating his injuries, but that became almost irrelevant as Kylo found himself lost in Hux's lips, feeling a dizzying concoction of love and lust making him heady and weak. As they fell deeper and deeper into the kiss, Hux let out a low moan, increasing his heart rate tenfold.  
They were interrupted by a knock at the door. Kylo pulled away, seeing Hux's flushed cheeks and cursing whoever it was who interrupted. When he opened the door, he found Phasma.  
"We've gotta go, loser, we've got a-" She furrowed her brows at him. "You look messy. Did you sleep in your clothes? Go find some clean clothes, you've gotta look like you have the ability to intimidate people." She rolled her eyes, and in doing so caught sight of Hux. "Ah. I see you have a visitor. How are you feeling?" She asked Hux.  
"I mean, everything hurts, but I'm doing very well otherwise." The flush still remained in his and Kylo's cheeks, and Phasma knew exactly what she had interrupted.  
"Very well indeed." She replied with a smirk, looking at the both of them. "But seriously, we need to get on the move- a certain friend of ours hasn't kept his word and we need to go remind him what his priorities are." Kylo nodded.  
"I'll just go get changed." He left, leaving Hux and Phasma in the room together.  
"You doing ok?"  
"Y- yes." Hux answered, very aware that he had just answered that question.  
"Sorry, I'm just worried. Mostly second-hand worry, if you get me. Kylo was in such a state yesterday that he couldn't focus enough to drive. He really cares about you, you know. I've never seen anyone have such a profound effect on him." Hux smiled and bit his lip, looking at the ground. Kylo emerged moments later, and Hux looked over to him.  
"I'm sorry I have to go, gingerbread, but I'll be back soon. Don't miss me too much." Kylo stopped and kissed him quickly on the lips.  
"Can't guarantee that." Hux replied, watching Kylo leave with redness spreading across his cheeks again.


	6. Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK, so full disclosure I re-wrote this. Originally (this may be the ending that some of you read) Hux joined the mafia and helped with the negotiations, but it didn't feel ~right~. So here is ending 2.0, which I feel fits better :)   
> (also huge thank you to StilettoRen ♥)

_~SEVERAL MONTHS LATER~_

Hux was busy making dinner when Kylo returned. This had been their routine for a while now: Hux would come home from working the job that he had been working for a long time, and Kylo would return about an hour later, and they would eat dinner together every night. Sometimes, Phasma would join them, but tonight was not one of those nights.  
"I'm home!" Kylo closed the door to their flat, breathing out and finally relaxing after a long day. "Something smells good." He joined Hux in the kitchen, placing his hands on Hux's waist.  
"How was your day?"  
"Miserable."  
"How come?"  
"Well, Phas and I barely escaped with our lives after a botched negotiation. You know the one I was telling you about this morning that I thought was going to take fifteen minutes at most? Well, turns out he had ties with another of the big families, and got some guys in as backup. There was a standoff for an hour, and I very nearly didn't make it out alive." Hux sighed at this.  
"You say these things so calmly, and you know they always worry me." Hux put down the knife he was using to chop vegetables with, and turned to face Kylo, brushing his fingers along Kylo's cheekbone, sighing again.  
"I'm sorry, you know it's an occupational hazard." He leaned in and planted a tiny kiss on Hux's nose. "But I also know that I've got you." Hux laughed a little and rolled his eyes, draping his arms over Kylo's shoulders. Kylo wrapped his arms around Hux's waist, and the two just stood there, Hux's head resting on Kylo's shoulder.  
"I love you too much to let anything happen to you." Hux mumbled, and Kylo made a low, quiet noise expressing his contentment. Hux leaned away slightly, undoing Kylo's tie and removing it, and undoing the top button of his shirt. "I need to finish cutting vegetables, and you need to change your shirt."  
"Why?"  
"It's got dried blood on it."  
"That's annoying. I'll go fix it." Kylo left, and Hux finished making dinner.

•~•~•~•~•

Some time after everything from dinner had been cleared up, the pair were lying on the bed, legs entangled. Kylo was running his fingers through Hux's hair, watching Hux's contented, half-closed eyes. Even though the light was dimming, his eyes still reflected the light in intense shades of blue, and his hair became a coppery gold.  
"How are you so beautiful, gingerbread? Ever since I first laid eyes on you, there was something so, so- radiant about the way you looked. Do you know how hard it is to threaten someone you fall head over heels for in the instant you lay eyes on them?"  
"You flatter me. And anyway, it did work, mainly because it's hard not to feel a little bit threatened by a muscle-bound mafia type who towers above you. Then again, it wasn't entirely a feeling of intimidation." Hux smirked. Kylo rolled over so he was holding himself over Hux.  
"And what was that other feeling?"  
"You know what that feeling was." He laughed, leaning up to kiss Kylo, who happily reciprocated.  
"I love you, gingerbread."  
"I know."


End file.
